Raleigh and the Carolina Hurricanes hosted the 2011 NHL All Star Game at the RBC Center. The entire weekend series of events came off without a hitch and Raleigh, scored a hat trick in international public relations.
The Raleigh News and Observer was delighted to report the great positive response from visitors:
"Broadcasters, players and fans hadn't even left Wake County before they began piling praise on the community's hospitality, with kind words for everything from the Fan Fair in the Raleigh Convention Center to the atmosphere on downtown streets and the boisterous crowds inside and out of the arena."
Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/02/01/959771/raleigh-reaps-rave-reviews.html#ixzz1CiBEUYo8
Articles of congratulations and admiration are popping up in sports media around the country:
From Sports Illustrated/CNN:
"While this will be recorded for posterity as an 11-10 victory for Team Lidstrom -- three weeks from now you likely will have not the faintest idea who played for the eponymous teams -- the clear winner was Raleigh, which reinforced its position as a most prominent, if not model, Sun Belt franchise."
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/michael_farber/01/30/all.star.game/index.html#ixzz1Ci6A6fhP
Video from TSN, where they take their hockey seriously: "I've been going to All Star games since 1990, and this was by far the best... the whole weekend."
Mike Corcoran at 1040AM Radio in Tampa Bay gave a thumbs up:
"The NHL All Star game wraps up a weekend of events that has proven Raleigh should no longer get unfairly labeled a "non-traditional" market. ... Overall, from a personal standpoint, this weekend has been a massive success."
"RALEIGH, N.C. -- This is what it looks like when it works. The Hurricanes are the perfect picture of a hockey franchise taking root in a nontraditional market and flourishing into an institution that feels like it has been here forever.
All-Star weekend was a chance for the hockey world to rekindle its appreciation for what quietly has become one of the best fan bases in the NHL."
Read more: http://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/feed/2010-11/nhl-gms-meeting/story/the-sun-belt-shines-bright-on-all-star-weekend#ixzz1Ci75CZM4
The RBC Center was not the only venue, not at all:
Downtown Raleigh embraced the All Star Weekend and offered a variety of activities, to nearly unanimous acclaim from visitors.
Congratulations to the Carolina Hurricanes and the City of Raleigh for a great event!
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